Goat Simulator 3 Went Too Far With This Ad
It's hard to believe that the original "Goat Simulator" came out eight years ago, and over the years fans have been treated to lots of DLC, like the zombie-survival parody "GoatZ" and the aptly titled expansion "MMO Simulator." But aside from DLC packs and updates, "Goat Simulator" fans never got a sequel, that is not until November 2022.
They didn't get "Goat Simulator 2," though, developer and publisher Coffee Stain Studios instead skipped straight to "Goat Simulator 3" — an intentional joke from the team that hits before the game even launches, just like the naming conventions of the equally ridiculous "Naked Gun" trilogy. There's been a lot that's happened since the first "Goat Simulator" came out, but one thing that hasn't happened is a new "Grand Theft Auto" game — believe it or not, "Grand Theft Auto 5" launched about a year before "Goat Simulator."
Sure, the heavily criticized remasters of "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" and "San Andreas" came out, and "GTA Online" has continued to rake in money for Rockstar. But fans have barely had any news about a sequel, except, of course, for the information revealed in a massive "Grand Theft Auto 6" leak a few months ago. In an advertisement for "Goat Simulator 3," actual video from that huge leak was referenced and shown. The ad has since been taken down, at the request of Rockstar, but some wonder whether Coffee Stain Games went too far with its marketing strategy by including this controversial footage.
Leaked GTA 6 footage was used in an ad, and Rockstar took action quickly
— johnathan (@Bryanthedude98) December 21, 2022
The ad is pretty normal for "Goat Simulator" standards. Viewers meet Shaun, an NPC, who is being interviewed about his role as an NPC in the game. Shaun knows he's in a game, but after talking about how he prepared for the role in "Goat Simulator," he talks about the "other stuff in the pipeline." The footage cuts from the homely space to a clip from the actual "GTA 6" leaks, which Rockstar has made a point to take down anywhere it pops up on the internet. It appears that the NPC Shaun was actually designed directly off of one of the background characters from the leak — he even points himself out in the footage — though the original leak is nearly impossible to find to confirm this connection.
NEWS: Take-Two issued a takedown notice against the Goat Simulator video, amid to a cool marketing video which showed a edited snippet of the next GTA title from the leaks back in September. pic.twitter.com/ZcLP0uXIwk
— Ben (@videotech_) December 20, 2022
Though the ad has since been taken down and isn't available anywhere officially, fans called it a "bold move" but wondered if the marketing tactic was worth it. It got people talking about "Goat Simulator 3," some pointed out, but others questioned why its legal team would have ever approved the republication of another developer's leaks, in an ad no less. Whether Rockstar will take further action to protect "GTA 6" is yet to be seen, but for now, the ad has simply been removed from all platforms.